1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope, and in particular, to an endoscope having a suction section that performs suction from a distal end of an insertion portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
An endoscope has an operation portion to be held by an operator and performs observation of the inside of a body cavity by inserting an insertion portion continuously provided from the operation portion. The operation portion is conventionally provided with a universal cable extending from it, and a connector and the like provided at the distal end of the universal cable are connected to a peripheral apparatus such as a light source device or a processor and used. Therefore, the use range of the conventional endoscope is limited by the length of the universal cable, so that free movement while using the endoscope is impossible. In addition, during operation of the operation portion, the universal cable becomes entangled and obstructs the operation, resulting in low operability.
To solve this problem, a portable endoscope having no cable to connect the peripheral apparatus and the endoscope has been proposed. For example, in JP-A-2003-52620 and JP-A-2003-70737, endoscopes including an air/water-feeding pump, a water tank, and a pump-driving battery attached to the operation portion are described.
However, JP-A-2003-52620 and JP-A-2003-70737 include no detailed description about a suction means for suctioning from the distal end of the insertion portion. To secure a sufficient suction force in an endoscope, generally, a large suction pump is needed, and if such a suction pump is installed in the operation portion, the operation portion is increased in size and weight, resulting in poor portability.
In addition, if the suction pump is provided, a large battery for driving the suction pump becomes necessary, and if this battery is installed in the operation portion, the operation portion is further increased in size and weight.
Therefore, conventional endoscopes use suction equipment installed in hospitals as suction means, and perform suctioning by connecting a suction connector set in each room of the hospital and a suction connector of the endoscope via a tube. Therefore, conventional endoscopes are not usable at a site without a suction connector of a hospital, or cannot be carried about ready for use, so that its portability is poor.